It's Gotta Be You Zayn Malik
by ChristiannPriyanka
Summary: Gayle Donners is new to Bradford, she's eighteen with a dark past. She moves in all by herself and then learns that her neighbour is the one and only One Direction, however the boys too are hiding something. And there is something up with Zayn Malik.


Chapter 1: Secrets

So basically, in case one really needed to know, it takes an hour and four minutes from Manchester to Bradford by car. That is, if there weren't any traffic jams, torrential rains, road accidents or rush hours. Her fingers tapped against the steering wheel and her feet tapped against the gas pedal. Gayle closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and then opened them. Sadly for her, there was a traffic jam due to the torrential rains, which caused an accident, which hence caused a traffic jam. To add to the insult, it was rush hour so cars were honking like mad and making her head pound painfully. The urge to get out, climb onto the roof of her car and scream for everyone to shut the hell up was overpowering so instead she sighed, muttered a few choice words under her breath and hoped the traffic would clear up. From Manchester all the way to this highway (which she had not bothered to name) drivers had given her strange looks. Wondering what a teenage girl was doing driving so far away from home. Well, Gayle was a rebellious kid and if anyone had really asked her, she'd have shouted at them. But the silent words their faces said were what really pissed Gayle off. People were cowards these days. Honestly, they chose media to show their hate to others. Social networking sites were so commonly used that it almost seemed as if it was a personal diary. Which was flashed for the entire world to see.

By the time Gayle reached the house it was almost twelve in the afternoon. Her head was spinning and her stomach was churning. She _so_ hated motion sickness. Gayle got out of the car and then stared at the large house that towered over her. It was big- for one person to live in it. She sighed, muttered a thank you to her grandmother and then turned to the right. An old woman stood by her painted white fence, staring at Gayle with an oddly peculiar expression. Gayle cleared her throat and smiled. Or maybe it wasn't a smile because the old woman laughed and then motioned for Gayle to approach her.

Old people were nice right? Like they weren't the type to attack you right?

"And you are?" the old woman asked, her eyes travelling down Gayle's body as a silent inspection.

She cleared her throat, "Abigail. Abigail Donners."

"From?"

"Manchester." Gayle licked her lips, "I'm no harm to this neighbourhood miss..."

"Mrs Williams."

"Mrs Williams." Gayle repeated, nodded, "I'm not going to disturb anyone in this neighbourhood."

"Did I say you were going to?" she raised a brow then held up a bunch of keys, "The keys to the house. Your grandmother told me about you."

Gayle's lips parted at that.

"If you need anything you have me."

Gayle nodded, a smile pulling at her lips as Mrs Williams regarded her with her dark green eyes.

Somehow Mrs Williams reminded her of her own grandmother. Maybe it was the warmth that Mrs Williams gave out, it seemed to fill her and patch up the holes she had in her soul. Gayle reached out and took the keys. When her fingers closed over the cool metal and it gave her a slight shock- she realised that this was indeed real.

Zayn stared out the window, his brows were pulled low over his face and his lips were pressed into a grim line. "We have a new neighbour." he announced, keeping his eyes on the woman who was speaking to Mrs W.

Someone sighed, probably Liam.

"Are you going to keep stalking everyone that passes by?" Harry asked then added, "Where's the food?"

Zayn's eyes narrowed. "She isn't local."

"_She_, you say?" Louis got up and stood next to him, "Ay, it's a girl. Finally, a female."

Zayn didn't laugh. His skin prickled as awareness crawled over him.

There was some bastard stalker out there.

And that bastard stalker had successfully gotten to them. Zayn turned around where Liam was walking toward Niall, his left arm in a cast. This stalker had attacked Liam and then Niall on separate occasions before finally sending them threats. The cops had put them in Zayn's house, telling him that they were not to leave until they find the bastard.

"Loosen up Zayn." Niall said, his Irish accent calmed him some, but these guys, they were like brothers to him and if someone hurt them, he wouldn't stand and watch. Zayn looked at the girl who walked back to her car and then grabbed her luggage. So she's here to stay eh?

"Zayn Jawaad Malik." Louis finally said, "I think you should just sit down and have a drink."

Zayn stared at the girl for a while longer and then walked away.

"This is brilliant." Gayle muttered and then dropped the bag onto he floor, "Brilliant, fantastic."

She sighed out loud and then walked toward to counter and picked up the card on the hamper.

_Do well and make us proud! Love Gran and Gramps._

Gayle smiled at that and opened the hamper. Inside it was the form for her new school and other details regarding her stay in Bradford. Gayle sighed out again, ran her hand through her hair. "So now what?" Gayle walked over to the calendar that hung on the wall and flipped it open, "Get a job Gayle. That's what you need. A damned job." her finger tapped against the paper, "A damned job."

She proceeded to go upstairs and find a room, which was made up just for her. She spent the rest of the day unpacking and reorganising her stuff. The built in closet was so big that she could hold a small tea party in it. The house was big and it must have cost a fortune, but then again, her grandparents were filthy rich and were paying for her stay. In addition they were giving her a large sum every month as allowance. However, Gayle felt bad about it so she decided that a job could easily help her repay her grandparents. It was the least she could do for them. Gayle finally settled down, her arms were hurting like hell and her hair…

It didn't seem normal.

Gayle swallowed, walked down the stairs, the sounds of her feet slapping against the wood echoed through the house. She was to get used to the silence that would envelope her until…

_Until when Gayle? You can't hide forever._

She couldn't. It was impossible to hide forever, but she was going to try- she was going to prove all of them wrong.

Gayle breathed in, fisted her hands and clenched her teeth. No crying.

If she cried now, she would prove that she was weak. She would prove that she wasn't as strong as she thought she would be.

She would prove that she lived in a delusion.

Chapter 2: Awakening

The morning sun had slipped through the tiny slit in the curtain and cast itself over her face. Gayle woke up, her body tensed as she realised that she was curled into a tight foetal position. The bolster was crushed to her chest; the sheets were rumpled and pushed to the farthest end of the bed.

_Oh no_.

This wasn't good. Not good at all. Gayle sat up, swallowed the lump in her throat. Not again.

She got off the bed, hurriedly went over to shower and change into something comfortable and then picked up the map that was given to her.

She hated maps, couldn't even read those blasted things. She needed help. Gayle licked her lips and left the house. She knocked on Mrs Williams' door and waited for her to open up.

"Mrs Williams. Good morning." She smiled, "I was actually wondering about this," she showed the map to Mrs Williams, "I can't read maps, so like, I can't find the High School. Do you know which way is it from here?"

The old woman stared at the map for a while and then shook her head. "I don't know actually. But those boys might."

_Those boys?_

Mrs Williams pointed to the house that was across Gayle's, "Those kids go there. You might want to ask them. Though I might say, they're nice and will give you directions."

"Oh." Gayle looked at the house- it was larger than hers.

And so much more grander.

"Aye girl, don't be shy." She nudged Gayle, "Just go and knock and smile."

"Ah…"

Mrs Williams pushed her, "Go!"

Gayle nodded, great. Her mood was just excellent. She walked up to the doorstep, steadied herself and then rang the bell. She wasn't going to be pushy, if they didn't answer after one ring than she would just leave and…

Someone opened the door.

What the hell? No one was supposed to answer and…

"Hey."

Gayle's eyes widened. "Lou… Louis Tomlinson?"

He grinned, "The one and only."

Gayle's throat seemed to close. She had never come so close to a celebrity before, never, not even once. And this was… This was Louis Tomlinson! From One Direction! They were her favourite boy band!

And she had never thought that she would ever meet them but this…

This was insane.

Louis lived across her? But… but he didn't live in Bradford, he lived in Doncaster which meant that…

Her neighbour was the one and only Zayn Malik.

"Um… ah… ah…" she babbled.

"Welcome to the neighbourhood anyway. You're new right?" he tilted his head to the side as he said it.

"Uh… yeah. I'm new here. Came here yesterday." Gayle said, licked her lips.

"But you aren't from London. Or the continent?" he raised his brows.

_Can a person be so perfect?_ "Uh… well, um, that's another thing altogether."

"Ah… I see. So what brings you here… ah…"

"Abigail. Abigail Donners." Gayle smiled, "I actually needed directions."

"Directions." He glanced at the map in her hands, "Where to, dear damsel in distress?" he did a bow.

Gayle laughed at that, "The High School." She handed him the map.

Louis regarded it for a moment before asking, "You're going here?"

Gayle nodded. "From today. Can't miss the first day of school right?"

"Surely not. That would be preposterous!" he raised his hand dramatically and then chuckled, "Just follow us."

"No thanks. I have to be there early. Admin matters and everything." Gayle smiled, "It would take up some time."

"Oh." Louis said and then gave instructions, telling them to the finest details. Gayle laughed, thanked him and then walked back into her house.

Delusions.

Maybe that wasn't Louis. But it still made her heart race.

"I can tell you this, that girl," Louis paused as he bit into an apple, "Isn't a stalker."

Zayn turned from the window, "Really? What if she just came up and did an assessment of you? Huh? How do you now she isn't a stalker."

Louis rolled his eyes, "Number one," his index finger flashed out, "Our stalker is male."

"How do you kn-"

"Number two," his middle finger flashed out along with his index finger, "She was asking for directions."

"To where?"

"The High School." Louis bit into the apple again.

"She might be stalking us, following us to school and everything. Seriously Louis, what were you think-"

"Number three," Louis added his ring finger, "She isn't from around here. From the country I mean, she seems very… American-Asian mix-ish."

"Asians, they're good at plotting stuff and getting-"

"Zayn." Louis finally said, "I get that you're scared and that you can't trust people like how you used to, but accusing the innocent isn't going to help you in any way. That girl, Abigail, seems nice. She's like a new friend in this neighbourhood. And she doesn't give off those bad juju vibes people sometimes have."

"Get to the point Louis." Zayn said and turned to face his friend.

"I'm trying to say that you need to give her a chance. You can't just hate her like that. Honestly Zayn, she just might be someone that can help us. And for goodness sakes, stop staring through that window, it's unhealthy and makes you look like a stalker."

Zayn stepped away from the window, closed his eyes and sat on a chair. "Liam…"

"Liam isn't really the problem now, Zayn. He's fine. The cast is coming out soon, but if you keep acting as if he's going to die tomorrow then well, it's going to be a problem for you."

Zayn cracked his knuckles. What Louis said, it made a hell a lot of sense, but Zayn couldn't help feeling as if the girl was hiding something.

"Here, eat this." Louis shoved a muffin into his hand, "It would make you feel so much more better."

Gayle managed to get her timetable ready and then managed to survive through English, lit and math. She was now only left with Bio and history. Gayle carried her lunch tray and scanned the cafeteria, looking for a good place to sit down and eat at. Everyone sat in groups or cliques and there was barely room for her. She took a step forward just as two girls came up to her. The first one was skinny, tall and had extremely pale blond hair and blue eyes. The girl next to her was almost the same and it gave Gayle an odd feeling that the second girl was rather _fake_.

"So, like, I've heard that you're the new kid here in school." The first girl said, her eyes skimmed over Gayle, lingered at her hips and then scowled.

Gayle shifted her feet. "I am."

"I'm Macy and that's Lynnette." She motioned to her friend and then smiled, a little too cruelly for comfort.

"Hey, Macy and Lynnette." Gayle said and then turned, she needed to get a seat, these girls didn't make her feel welcome and she knew something was going to go wrong soon enough.

"Well, Lynnette, where do you suppose she's from? I mean, look at her- all fat and ugly. Definitely not from around here."

Gayle didn't stop walking.

"Yeah Mace, like, how can one get so fat? Look at her legs."

Gayle snorted.

"Fat, fat, fat. Probably from some third-rate country no one gives a damn about these days."

The corner of Gayle's lip curled up as she walked out of the cafeteria and into the outdoor seats. It was empty, well mostly. She sat down under a large umbrella and stared at her food.

French fries, a burger and a small carton of milk. Gayle pushed it aside and rested her cheek on her fist. She wanted to tell those bitch teens that they were the third-rate ones. She wanted to tell them that they looked plastic and that they looked like life-like Barbie dolls. She wanted to tell them that if they crossed her again they'd regret it.

The sad thing was, Gayle couldn't. It just wasn't in her blood to do that. She had never been the sort to fight with others.

Never threw a punch, never spat crude words at people she didn't know.

"Someday I'm going to regret being nice." Gayle muttered and then picked up a fry and bit into it, "I'm _so_ going to regret this."

"Hey, you're here!"

Gayle coughed. _Whaaat?_

Louis slid into the seat in front of her and then moved so Harry, Liam and Niall could join in.

Gayle coughed again.

"Guys, this is Abigail Donners, our new neighbour. Abigail, Niall, Liam and Harry."

They greeted her one by one.

Gayle could only blink at them and look as if she was seeing a human for the very first time. This is One Direction she was sitting with.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

"Relax Abigail." Niall laughed and grabbed a fry, "We don't bite."

Gayle laughed, shook her head, "Please, call me Gayle."

"Gayle." Niall tested out then chuckled before stealing another fry.

"So why aren't you _in_ the cafeteria? That's where the humans are." Harry asked as he bit into his burger.

"Didn't know anyone." Gayle picked at her food, "Don't know anyone."

Louis made a sound, "Where's Zayn?"

Gayle's eyes flicked up and crashed with Louis' blue eyes. "Z-Zayn? As in Zayn Malik?"

"The very one." Niall muttered with food in his mouth. Gayle laughed and reached out with a napkin to wipe ketchup off the corner of Niall's mouth.

"Maybe he's some place else."

"Or not." Liam said as he glanced behind Gayle.

Gayle turned around and her lips parted. Zayn looked even better in real life than he looked in pictures. He seemed taller, his hair seemed darker and the expression he wore just made him look badass.

Zayn glanced at the seats and found that the only one available was next to Gayle. He muttered something, glared at Louis and then walked away.

And for some reason, that really hurt Gayle.

"What's up with that dude?" Liam asked, his eyes slid to Louis.

Louis breathed in deep.

"I'm sorry." Gayle stood up. It hurt, whatever he just did, it really, really hurt her. She could feel the pain blossom in her chest and slowly spread. Maybe she was just too ugly, or too fat. Something about her repulsed him.

Repulsed Zayn Malik, the guy she admired the most, her favourite member.

And he hated her.

"Gayle…" Harry rose with her.

She shook her head and prayed that her eyes didn't redden. "It's nothing. I'll just… um… go and… um…" she closed her eyes tight sucked in a breath, "I'll go to my class early." She grabbed her tray and turned around quickly.

"Gayle."

"No Louis," she said quickly, "I'm fine, really. I just need to get to class early."

Zayn was leaning against a wall, hiding in the shadows as he watched the girl walk away. From what he'd heard her name was Abigail Donners and she preferred people to call her Gayle. She wasn't that bad looking, dark brown hair with dark brown eyes. Tanned skin, lovely lips.

_Lovely lips?_

He shook his head. Her expression when she'd seen him was a mixture of excitement, anxiety and shock. It amused him a little, that he could do that to someone. But then he'd left abruptly because he wasn't in the mood to make friends with someone he didn't quite know. He was on high alert, the stalker might just send them another threat and the bastard might just hurt one of them again. And he was pretty sure the stalker wanted death and blood this time.

Zayn rubbed his jaw and then stepped out. Louis scowled at him, as in really scowled.

"What?" he slid into the seat that Gayle had occupied earlier.

"Way to go at making someone feel welcome." Niall said, his blue eyes had a spark of anger in them and so did Harry's.

"What did you think you were doing?" Louis asked harshly, "Do you think it's _fun_ to upset someone?"

"Fun? Did you see her? She could be-"

"Could be!" Louis slammed the table, "Could. Be. Damn it Zayn, you screwed it up this time. Is it so hard to be nice to her? She isn't here to harm us! She isn't a stalker and most of all; she's just an innocent _girl_ who wants to fit in. Didn't you ever feel that way?"

Zayn closed his eyes, "But that's not-"

"It's not." Louis stood up, "I want you to patch things up with her by today. Do anything, just don't break her heart."

"Why? Is it because she reminds you of Hannah?" Zayn blasted.

Louis was at the verge of shouting but Harry stepped in, "Zayn and Louis calm the hell down. We won't get to a fucking solution if you two fight right now."

"Then tell him," Louis said through clenched teeth, "Tell him to apologize to Gayle."

Zayn blinked back at Louis; honestly he'd never seen so much anger in Louis' eyes. They had never fought like this before, _never._

So why was Louis behaving that way? Whatever it was Zayn felt bad. He might have a reputation of being a bad boy but deep inside, he too felt bad.

"Fine, I will." He swallowed, "I'll say sorry, but I do not like that girl."

Louis sighed out, sat down. "It's your senior year Zayn. Have fun with it, but do not hurt that girl."

Zayn blinked at Louis and then blinked again. "What's up with you and her?"

"You're right." Louis swallowed, "She reminds me of Hannah, and besides we've been locked up in your house for the past month. We need more friends."

Liam coughed, "Exactly."

Zayn scowled. "Fine, whatever."

Chapter 3: Realisations

Gayle ran to her car, started it and then drove home as fast as she fucking could. Her day had gotten worse when she realised that Zayn took English, Math, Science and Literature with her.

Well, she thought that whatever happened during break would have stopped- she thought wrong. When Zayn had entered the lab for biology, he'd glanced at her and looked away just as quickly. He even exchanged seats with one of the girls so that he could sit far away from Gayle.

She didn't understand his actions at all. Honestly, she didn't see why he should hate her. He hadn't even met her properly, hadn't even spoken to her. So maybe it was her physical appearance?

It couldn't be her weight though. She'd been fat before and then she'd worked out hard and lost a lot of weight.

So something was indeed up with Zayn. Maybe he didn't like new people.

Gayle sighed. Something was probably wrong with her.

_Don't stress yourself over this Abigail. Just relax; he has got nothing to do with you in any way at all._

"Nothing to do with me."

She opened the door and got out, breathed in deep. "Nothing to do with me. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing."

"It's unhealthy to talk to yourself."

Gayle gasped and turned around. Zayn stood at the opposite side of her car.

He smiled at her and then walked around the car to meet her. She was right- he was taller.

His eyes were two dark pools of mystery as he looked at her. His lips quirked up again.

Gayle cleared her throat and tried to ignore the fluttery feeling in her stomach. Her fingers and toes were tingling and she suddenly felt so hot.

"As I said, it's unhealthy to talk to yourself. People might think you're crazy." He looked over her head and squinted.

"Um… I guess so." Gayle tucked her hair behind her ears.

Zayn was wearing earrings, both black in colour and circular shaped.

He looked down at her again, "Hey, you have a second piercing."

Gayle reached out and touched the second hole on her left ear, she hadn't put an earring in it. "Yeah, I got it when I was fourteen."

"Hmmm…" Zayn tilted his head to the side, "Anyway I was here to say sorry for earlier."

_For the incident during break._

Gayle supposed she had to forgive him, but his apology- it seemed insincere. "Were you forced to apologize?" Gayle shot back.

"W-what? Of course not." Zayn stepped back.

Gayle turned around just to see Louis and Liam hurriedly rush to hide. He was saying sorry just because Louis told him to.

She breathed in deep, counted to ten and then glared at Zayn. "You're a jerk. Really."

"I'm a _what?_"

"A. Jerk." Gayle repeated, pointed at him, "You're a real fucking jerk. Really? I honestly thought that you would realise that you were an asshole today and would apologize. But really? You just come here and tell me that you're sorry just because you were forced to. In case you really didn't know, you acted as if I had rabies today. People start to notice you know."

Zayn's jaw clenched, "What are you babbling about?"

"I'm not babbling!" Gayle burst out, "You're an idiot. Really, I never thought I'd say something like this to a _celebrity._ But I really don't care because I thought you'd be different."

"So what's your point?" his brows pulled low as the rage simmered below the surface.

Gayle breathed out and then turned around, ready to leave. Zayn grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

That's it. No one touched her.

No one touched her when she was angry. And most of all, this was Zayn Malik, the guy she loved the most.

He turned out to be her worst nightmare.

Gayle spun around, lifted her fist and swung. It caught him straight in the jaw, causing his head to snap back.

"That's what you get if you fucking touch me. Celebrity or no, I don't care." She turned around and stomped back into her house, slammed the door behind her and burst into tears.

Harry pressed an ice pack to Zayn's jaw and shook his head. "Something tells me that that girl isn't as innocent as she looks."

Zayn grunted in response. God, it hurt like the devil. The thing had turned into an ugly shade of purple. He didn't know how much concealer he had to use in order to hide it.

"Well you were a jerk." Harry said and stopped when Zayn glared at him. It would hurt just to talk so he didn't bother.

"Would it really hurt to be nice to her?"

Zayn looked down.

"Forget it then. You don't even need to interact with her."

Zayn stared at Harry.

"What? You can handle that right?"

"OH MY GOD! THEY'RE HERE! ONE DIRECTION HAS ARRIVED!" Macy screamed. Suddenly every girl around Gayle was running towards the entrance of the High School.

Gayle sighed and hung back into a corner. She stared at her fist where her knuckles had turned purple.

_Great job. Punching Zayn Malik like that._ She was an idiot to do such a stupid thing. She wasn't proud of it, but he had really gotten on her nerves and he deserved it. No one asked him to be a complete ass.

Gayle shook her head as the girls began to scream again; this time it made her ears hurt like hell. God, didn't these people see them everyday at school? So what was the big deal screaming after them?

The crowd slightly parted as the boys made their way through. Gayle rolled her eyes at Macy who was trying to put on a dramatic scene so that the boys could notice her.

Sadly, they just walked past her. Gayle chuckled to herself.

The boys looked good, dressed in simple shirts and jeans. Louis was wearing stripes as usual, Liam was in a plain blue shirt, Niall wore a green shirt with the words 'Brand New' on it and Harry wore a checked shirt. Zayn walked in last. He wore a plain white shirt underneath a dark brown leather jacket.

He turned his head to the side and the girls began to gasp. "Oh my god, what happened?"

Liam rolled his eyes.

Gayle straightened; her ears were somehow tuned in to hear Zayn's answer. He didn't say anything to Gayle's relief.

Louis turned around and began walking… towards her direction. Was the guy mad?

"Louis." Gayle swallowed, "Uh…"

Louis nodded, his expression grim. "I apologize on Zayn's behalf."

Gayle nodded, "Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else? You're too old for High School."

He laughed and then patted her head, "Actually yes, but I like to wait for the boys."

"Ah… I see." Gayle nodded, "I think you should… um… the girls." She pointed awkwardly at the crowd of girls who were now glaring at her. Gayle suddenly feared for her life.

Louis chuckled, stepped aside, "Oh well. See you later."

"Um… see you." Gayle leaned forward as Louis left. Niall winked back at her and she wondered what was up.

Liam walked up to Danielle, linked arms with her and kissed her cheek, which sent the girl giggling like mad. Zayn on the other hand just walked past Gayle without saying a word because he was pissed as fuck at her.

She supposed she didn't care, but she did deep down, she could feel the pain deep down in her heart.

"So, you know them huh?" Macy said as she walked up to Gayle. Well it wasn't actually a walk; she kept shaking her hips as if she was a model on a runway.

Gayle pushed her bangs aside and smiled, mocking Macy. "Maybe."

"Don't you 'maybe' me, Asian brat, how do you know them?" Macy's eyes were slits.

God, she really looked like a bitchy Barbie doll. "Maybe. I said maybe."

"Fuck you," Macy said and jabbed Gayle's chest, "Fuck you. Just because you're new here doesn't mean that you can just come and steal the boys as if you knew them.

Gayle's brows pulled together, "Did I say that I knew them? Really, you're an ass." She pushed Macy aside and walked to the classroom.

"ASIAN BRAT!" Macy screamed.

"I'm not Asian you ass, I'm mixed. I'm Eurasian."

The day went on fine, Gayle sat by the back of the class like she'd done the day previous. She was able to concentrate on her lessons even though her mind kept wandering into the 'Zayn Malik' direction. Gayle caught herself doodling his name on the sides of her textbook at least five times and then she'd scribble over them. When the final bell rang she got up from her seat quickly, packed her bag and headed down to the cafeteria for break. She needed to calm herself down before the next lesson where she would be staring at Zayn Jawaad Malik for at least an hour. The very thought caused gooseflesh on her arms. Gayle grabbed a tray and headed to walk outside. She could feel the eyes of every girl in the room, and the looks they were giving her weren't all that nice.

"Hey Lynnette, isn't that a bruise?"

Gayle froze, her eyes widening. What the…

"OHEHMGEE! Yes Mace! That's indeed a bruise."

Oh crap.

Macy and Lynnette appeared before her, their eyes were sinister, cruel.

"I'm sorry, but Bitch club is that way." Gayle motioned with her nose to the doors of the cafeteria.

Macy moved close, so close that their noses almost touched, "Don't try to be flippant with me Asian brat. I might have beauty, but I also have the brains."

"Oh really?" Gayle stepped back, "What about brawn?"

Macy laughed loudly and cruelly, attracting the attention of everyone else. Several students were getting up and walking towards them.

"Who needs brawn? I'm not a rebel!"

Gayle's eyes widened. She _knew_.

Macy knew that Gayle was the reason for Zayn's bruise. And Gayle just knew that this encounter wouldn't end all that well.

"You've been here for just two days and you think you have the right to attack people? Especially someone so… _important_. Wait till the media hears about this. Millions of people are going to hate you."

"What did she do?" someone in the crowd asked.

Macy circled Gayle and then before Gayle could register, Macy grabbed Gayle's hair and pulled causing her head to snap back and tears fill her eyes from the pain and sudden shock of it. The food tray in her hands fell with a _clang_.

"Remember the bruise on Zayn's face?" Macy lifted Gayle's hand and lifted up so that everyone could see the bruises on her knuckles, "_She's_ the one who _punched_ him! How much pain would he be in?" Macy shouted and then squeezed Gayle's hand. The pain shot up her arm and a scream left her lips.

"MAKE HER PAY!" someone shouted and then it turned into a chant.

"Yes," Macy said, turning to Gayle, "Let's make you pay."

Chapter 4: Shock

Zayn entered the cafeteria first and then stopped abruptly causing the rest of the boys to crash into him.

What in the hell?

"Zayn!" Liam protested and then stopped, "What the hell?"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Zayn said and then stepped in. There seemed to be some sort of fight going on. There were students circled around shouting, "Make her pay! Make her pay!"

Make who pay?

"Zayn…" Niall said, sounding unsure.

It clicked then. "Gayle."

"What?" Liam asked.

Zayn turned around, panic in his eyes. "It's Gayle. They want to make her pay."

"But who kn-"

Zayn didn't hear the rest of Liam's words he ran forward and began to push his way into the crowd. He elbowed, shoved and punched through it until he finally got to the centre. Gayle was hunched over, screaming as Mike kicked her. Another few guys were hitting her too, making her bleed. He needed to assess the situation before running headfirst into it and getting knocked out instead. Three guys were attacking Gayle, Macy was watching over it, smiling broadly.

Okay, Barbie bitch was the ringleader, Mike and some of the jocks were her minions in this.

Zayn jumped into it, hit Mike hard in the chest and then stomach. The guy wheezed out before falling. Zayn moved over and kicked Caleb in the groin- the guy came down too. Realising this James stopped doing anything and retreated into the crowd.

Zayn knelt down beside Gayle who was rolled over and curled into a foetal position. "Hey, Gayle?"

She moaned and then coughed. Zayn rolled her over and his jaw clenched.

Her nose was bleeding and there were several cuts on her face. She was clutching her right hand to her chest and Zayn suspected that it was broken. "Gayle, are you okay?"

She coughed again, "Z-Zayn?"

"Vas happenin?" he tried for a smile, failed at it, "We need to get you to a hospital alright? Check you up."

"M-Macy…" she coughed again.

That was it. Zayn slid one hand under her neck and then behind her knees he lifted her up easily.

She was weak and limp in his arms and he was getting more worried.

Liam stood beside him when he got to the door. "We called an ambulance."

"Good." He looked down at Gayle. The girl who had punched him earlier was gone, another girl- a girl who was weak and helpless. Zayn set her down on a bench, pushed her bangs aside and wiped the blood off her forehead.

Her nose didn't seem broken.

Damn, he was supposed to hate her but she had intrigued him, made him wonder for his actions the day before. He was being a jerk, but with One Direction's safety in danger, he wasn't taking any chances.

"Gayle." He nudged her a little, "Can you sit up?"

She nodded a little and tried to push herself into a sitting position. Zayn had to help her and he was a hundred percent sure that her right hand was broken.

She seemed to have regained some consciousness because she managed to blink at him.

"Is she alright?" Niall asked and stepped forward.

Gayle rubbed her temples, "I'm okay." She coughed, managed a smile, "My hand…"

"Is broken." Zayn finished for her and then glanced at it, "If you can't move it, then it's broken."

Gayle sighed out sadly.

"What did you think you were doing? Getting into a fight with Macy." Harry scolded and knelt in front of her, "Or did you?"

"I didn't." she protested and turned her head. She blinked at Zayn and he couldn't help but be mesmerized by her. She wasn't beautiful, but she was pretty in a sense. She was tanned, her hair wasn't really black, but it was a dark brown- black colour. Her eyes seemed browner than it had been in the shade.

Her lips on the other hand…

Wow.

Her hair was long and fell down her shoulders, but her bangs- it made her seem younger and more child-like.

She coughed again. "She just _knew_. I don't know how or why, but she did."

"Where is she?" Louis came running in and then almost collapsed with relief, "You're fine."

"I am." She smiled and then winced, "I don't even know how many bruises I've got now."

Zayn snorted, "Revenge is sweet."

Gayle stuck her tongue out at him, "It's not your revenge."

He looked at her and for some reason, lost himself.

They admitted her, called up her grandparents and put her hand into a cast. And if that wasn't bad enough, Macy and her pals didn't get into trouble. All they received was a warning letter that stated that they should not do something like that ever again.

Now that was really insulting.

However, on a better note, Zayn had come to terms with her saying that they were even now.

"What are you doing?" Zayn asked as he walked into the ward, he had a large teddy bear in his hand and a balloon in the other.

Gayle sat up higher in the bed and shook her head. "Let me guess, another sorry soul who sent me those in hopes of forgiveness."

Zayn smiled and set them down next to the other gifts. "So, how long more are you going to stay in here?"

"They think that I might had a crack in my hip bone so that adds another day. How are my grandparents?" Gayle shook her head.

"They're coming in and going. Which basically makes me wonder why you're here."

Gayle straightened and then turned away from him, "I don't trust you enough to tell you all that. Anyways _Zayn_ you still were the jerk."

He didn't say anything.

"Thanks anyway, for helping me out."

Zayn nodded, "By the way, Macy might get into more trouble since someone took a video of the entire incident."

"Oh wow. That's great." Gayle grinned and then winced. Zayn reached out and touched her cheek. Somehow time felt as if it had been slowed.

His touch made her hot and her breaths came out shallow and hitched. Zayn stroked the bruise gently, his fingers made her skin tingle and her heart race. She looked up at Zayn and her breath as knocked out of her again. He was looking down so his long eyelashes hooded his eyes. The light from the room cast on his face making shadows under his eyes. His lips parted for a moment and then closed. "Z-Zayn." She gasped and his fingers fell away.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and swallowed hard. "Um, just came by to say hello and drop off those." He pointed to the presents, "The guys send their regards."

Gayle nodded, not trusting her voice.

"I'll see you later then." Zayn sent her a half smile and then left.

Well damn, but did that just happen? Did Zayn Malik just reduce her to a pile of mush?

Gayle leaned into the pillow and exhaled out loud. "Does he feel the same?" she asked to no one in particular, "Does he feel the same as I do?"

She hoped so, because she had been desperately in love with Zayn ever since she laid eyes on him at the X-Factor.

"No gran, I am totally capable of doing that myself." Gayle protested when her grandmother reached out to open the door for her. She'd been discharged that morning and her grandparents were being annoying. They had been determined to help her out until they were satisfied that she could take care of herself. Gayle had to admit, it was rather nice to see them again. It had been a long time, but she was grateful to have the house filled up. The silence had been eating at her, and it was uncomfortable.

Gran made her sit down and then went into the kitchen and began to complain. "What have you been eating at all?"

Gayle laughed as her grandfather sat down in front of her, "How're you feeling?"

She sighed, "I'm fine grandpa, I'm not going to deteriorate in twenty minutes."

"No you're not." He chuckled and patted her shoulder. It hurt, but she didn't wince.

Wincing would mean that her grandparents were going to freak out.

"Lunch is ready!" her grandmother called.

Gayle wasn't really hungry, so she excused herself.

"No! You have to eat and regain your strength!" her grandmother protested, but she shook her head and said, "I have to meet someone. Have a walk."

"But…" Gayle cut her off with a kiss on the cheek

"Okay fine." Her grandmother pouted, "Don't be out so late. And don't get into trouble."

"I solemnly swear." Gayle lifted her injured hand near her head, "Scouts honour!"

Gayle left the house, took a deep breath and walked across the road. Time to thank someone.

Zayn watched her approach the house, but he didn't move from his spot near the window.

"You like her, don't you?" Louis asked, well, it sounded more like an accusation. Zayn turned around, raised a brow, "I'm pretty sure I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

Louis shrugged and then grinned broadly, "Nothing. I didn't say anything."

Zayn's eyes narrowed but he decided to ignore Louis just this once. Louis had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

The bell rang then and Zayn's muscles tightened. Louis just smiled at Zayn and said, "Who could that be?"

Zayn's mouth opened and then closed.

"I'll go get it then." He turned around so that he could head towards the stairs. For some apparent reason Zayn found himself saying, "No it's okay, I'll get that."

His mind seemed to be detached from his body as he walked down and then opened the door.

Gayle stood there, clad in a t-shirt and shorts. She had a white beanie on her head. She was a slim girl, but she teetered over into the skinny category.

"Hey." She lifted her hand, palm facing him in a greeting and then let it drop, "Are you busy?"

Somehow he found his head turning to the left and then to the right.

"Oh." Gayle swallowed, "I was just wondering… I was just wondering if you'd take a walk with me?" She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Zayn noticed that she'd put an earring into her second hole.

_Interesting_.

"So would you?" her eyes were hopeful.

Zayn glanced back into the house and then turned to her, "Sure, why not?"

_Damn, damn, damn. You're going to get into trouble._

Gayle smiled, "Then should we get going?"

He nodded, stepped out and closed the door behind him, "So where are we headed to?"

Gayle shrugged, "Wherever the path leads us basically. And then we can just follow it back home."

"Like Hansel and Gretel." Zayn murmured, his eyes sliding toward her, "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah." She sighed, "My grandparents are mad. Literally crazy in the head." She used her forefinger to make a circular motion near her temple, "Mental."

Zayn laughed, "Why?"

"I've been here, barely two weeks and they want to stay until I get better. I'm eternally grateful for that, but… but if they stay long then I might not be able to let them go again." Her eyes went sad, "I can't."

He was silent, "Are you running from the law or something?"

She stopped walking abruptly, stared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. She had a funny sort of laugh, she'd laugh and gasp and gasp and laugh out again. It was ridiculously contagious.

Gayle finally calmed herself down; her face was flushed, her eyes sparkling. "Oh my god. Oh my god." She laughed again and then ended up coughing her lungs out, "_Why_ would _I_ be running from the law?" she tried to regain her composure.

"I don't know." He shrugged, smiling like an idiot.

Gayle breathed in deep and sighed. "No I'm not running. Or hiding or whatever."

Zayn nodded, "So why are we out here anyway?"

Her eyes hardened and then relaxed, she turned to him, "I owe you an apology. Well, two actually. One for punching you."

Absently he reached out to touch the still purple bruise.

"And I wanted to apologize for the hospital." Her cheeks bloomed faintly pink, "I didn't mean to be rude."

Zayn didn't know what to say so he nodded.

"There are some things, some things that I can't say." She began to kick stray rocks on the path, "Some things are personal."

"You can trust me."

"Can I?" she laughed, "I barely know you, but I think I might just trust you."

He didn't say anything.

"Let's just say, that my family doesn't know that I'm here."

This time Zayn stopped abruptly. What? Was she mental?

"I ran away from home. Ran to my grandmother's house. I don't know how, but I managed to run and get a cab and go to her house. It was dark, no one knew where I was."

Zayn could hear the sadness and pain in her words.

"When I got there, I… I just started to cry. My grandparents didn't know what was wrong, but they held me and protected me."

Zayn found a bench and made her sit down.

"When I felt better, I told them what happened, showed them the bruises."

Zayn froze, _bruises?_

"They hit me, hard. Well, my father did. But… what hurt most where the words they said. The words, they hurt more than the pain." Tears started rolling down then, "I needed to stop the pain, I tried so hard to push it away, to hide from it. I wasn't the perfect child. I was the problem child. Constant disappointment to my family, to my parents. But I try hard, I try hard to please them." She looked up, her eyes were red, her cheeks stained with her tears. She was broken.

"Gayle…"

"Let me finish." She wiped some of her tears, "My grandparents… they didn't want my parents to know where I was. So they planned everything here, made my escape. I don't know what they told my parents, but later they told me that they would never find me. I lived with my aunt for about two years in Manchester, and I think my parents found out so my grandmother moved me here, to Bradford. It's hard, but I don't want to go back home. I don't want to their faces again."

Zayn was silent. He actually didn't know what to tell her. She made sense in some way, but she was battling to survive. He knew what words could do to someone. He knew that words could make a person feel so low.

"I don't expect you to understand. But thanks for listening though."

"Did… did things get better after you… um… left?"

A corner of her lip tilted in a sad smile, "I stopped cutting." She showed her arm where there were a few healed scars. Most were shallow, some were deeper.

"I managed to think that there was nothing wrong with me. There isn't, right?" her eyes lifted to his, "My parents told me that there was something wrong in my head, I believed them. Do you think there's something wrong with my head?"

"No." straight away said.

She leaned forward, "There is, you know. I have a bad temper, bad attitude. I'm annoying, immature and babyish. It can go on and on and on."

"No, it can't." he stood up, glared at her, "You may have those qualities, but you're likeable. You're _you_."

"I'm me… but…" she sighed out, shook her head, "I think we should head back." Her eyes lifted to the sky, which was turning orange.

"About what you said before," Zayn said, licked his suddenly dry lips, "I won't tell anyone."

She took off her beanie, ran her fingers through her hair, "I didn't think you would." She sniffed, wiped a stray tear, "But I thank you, for listening." She stood up, "And I'm sorry for hitting you. I have some extra concealer if you want."

Zayn laughed at that, stood up. "No thanks, I'll just borrow some from Louis."

"Louis uses concealer?"

Zayn laughed, "Not really."

She laughed and so did he and they did that all the way home.

Chapter 5: Relapse

Gayle was sitting near her window, her left hand held on to her pen, which was poised over her writing pad. Her laptop was open with Safari open. Two weeks had past in school. Two more weeks. She was pretty sure she could survive until graduation. She knew she could. She sighed out, read through a little from Wikipedia and then some more from her textbook and wondered what to write for her History essay on the civil war. It was the damned American's problems, not theirs. However it was extra credit and she was in need of those marks so that she could fill in for the days she was in the hospital.

She turned her head and looked over. From her bedroom she could clearly see Zayn's. He was hunched over his desk, writing. _Probably his essay, _she thought. His lips were moving, and then he stopped, shook his head, thought for a moment and then began continued with his odd lip movement. His head was shaking from side to side and so were his shoulders.

He was singing.

And for some reason, that made her smile. She actually wanted to hear him sing, to hear that husky deep tone of his.

They'd gotten close after that day when she'd told him about her past, she didn't know why she did it, but it felt right and her heart was dying to tell someone. She trusted Zayn, and after telling him, she felt at peace. She didn't wake up curled up in a foetal position, didn't freeze when the lights suddenly turned on.

Zayn turned out to be the one thing she needed.

Gayle smiled down at her half completed homework and sighed out.

She had to get this done.

_Extra credit sucks._ She stuck her tongue out at her work and then continued with it.

The doorbell rang a little too early in the morning so she crawled out of bed, tumbled down the stairs and finally opened the door.

Zayn stood there, brows raised at her appearance. Well, Gayle did look like crap. She only wore a t-shirt with extremely short shorts. Her hair was in an unimaginable state and her eyes wouldn't fully open.

"What?" she muttered, "Come back later. Thanks."

"Wake up sleepy head."

"Zayn…" she mumbled, grabbed his sleeve and dragged him in, "Sit down."

"Wake up." He tapped her head, "Rise and shine."

"There's no school today asshole." She stopped, rubbed her eyes and then froze.

Wait… this was…

Her eyes opened wider and she squeaked. "Zayn!" she gasped, tried to adjust her hair.

"Yep. That's me." He waved.

Gayle smacked his arm.

"Ouch." He rubbed the sore spot but he was smiling as he was doing it. Gayle scowled at him. "A warning would have been nice."

"It would have been."

"Wait here." Gayle raced up the stairs, washed her face, brushed her teeth and then got into a pair of longer shorts.

What a great way of presenting herself in front of Zayn Malik.

She walked down the stairs and froze yet again.

Zayn was sitting at the dining table along with Louis and her grandparents.

If her morning could get any more bizarre, Gayle was pretty sure it wasn't going to surprise her.

"Hey guys." Her eyes darted to Zayn but he smiled back and shrugged.

"Well Gayle dear," her grandmother turned around, "You didn't tell me that these young men were your friends."

"Well, they're neighbours." Gayle scowled at them just as another knock echoed. Harry, Liam and Niall stood there, grinning,

Gayle just smacked her forehead. "This is not happening."

"Oh there you all are! Come in, come in." Her grandmother motioned with her hands, "We have pancakes."

"Pancakes." Niall repeated, "Yum."

Gayle finally walked up to the table, "What brings you all here?"

"Well, I saw this boy," her grandmother pointed to Zayn, "In the hall. He said that you two were friends and that he lived across. So invited him and his friends for breakfast."

"Great." She put her thumbs up and then smiled, "That's great."

"Join us." Louis said and then patted the seat next to him.

"I'll pass. But gran, more pancakes for Niall." She pointed to Niall, "Loves food."

"Noted!" her grandmother smiled, "Where you off to?"

"A walk." Gayle said, "I'll be back soon."

"No, no!" Louis got up, grabbed her wrist and made her sit down, "You have to join us."

"I do?" Gayle's eyes widened.

"Well yes." Niall said, grinning at the pancakes, "These are delicious."

"What does that have to do with me eat-"

Harry stuffed a slice into her mouth and it sent the rest of the boys laughing. Gayle glared at him.

Zayn chuckled, shook his head and then thanked her grandmother. It was rather easy to tell that her grandmother was completely smitten by the boys.

They sat and talked and ate pancakes as if it was completely normal. Niall suffered the most because her grandmother kept adding pancakes. Finally he said that he'd blow if he ate another and decided that he'd take some home.

Louis told them that they were under house protection because there was a stalker out there that was scaring them. Gayle never knew but she did catch the tightening of Zayn's eyes.

Liam added by saying that was the reason he was in a cast.

_Well that explains the broken arm_, Gayle thought, he did look rather pitiful. Liam absolutely loathed the cast.

Niall went on to add that he was punched by some dude in a black hoodie.

The boys were in danger, and they didn't want anyone else to know so they kept it quiet.

"We've been stuck in Zayn's house because our parents aren't here. They were sent on holiday. The police thought that they would be a hindrance. They call everyday." Harry said.

Her heart seemed to drop and her chest seemed to tighten. The familiar feeling of pain welled up and she looked down.

"They've been incredible, supporting you boys and all." Her grandmother said and then smiled, "You've been blessed."

"We have." Liam said, "We just want this man gone."

"I sure you do." Her grandmother said.

Was she the only one who felt as if she was going to cry at any moment?

Probably.

She really didn't have many people who cared for her.

And she supposed that that didn't really matter.

The next few weeks passed well, she usually had breaks and lunch with the boys. She took long walks with Zayn and studied with Danielle and Liam. She cooked with Niall and Louis and helped Harry with his homework. He was a year younger than they were so she usually helped him out.

The seven of them became close and sometimes annoying as hell. Sometimes she'd go out with Danielle and they'd talk about shopping or boys or music. Gayle liked Danielle because she was nice and fun to be with.

"Zayn seems to like you."

Gayle stopped and coughed out loud.

Danielle shook her head, "What? Does it surprise you by any chance?"

"Well… yes actually." Gayle caught up with her, "He doesn't like me, we're just friends."

"Well," Danielle stopped, shook her head once more, "He _really_ likes you. He won't shut up about you."

Gayle laughed, "And you assume…"

"I don't." Danielle was serious now; "He has this… this look in his eyes. This sparkle in them. And it's there when he talks about _you_. Only you Gayle. How can that mean nothing?"

Gayle's lips parted.

"And I just think that you're the one that can really understand him. Not that the boys can't, it's just that sometimes he closes up and it's hard to reach him."

"But… Danielle…" Gayle breathed in deep, "I've never dated before. I've never had a boyfriend. I was always in a girl's school. But I… I've never had a boyfriend."

"Good that you understand, but everyone has their first. How will you know if you've never tried?"

"I… I don't know what to say." Gayle sipped her coffee, "I really don't."

"Good. That show's you're thinking." Danielle laughed, patted Gayle's head, "Come on, you have to try this, I swear to you, chocolate cake has never tasted this good."

Gayle laughed, "Wait… Uh… Da-" but Danielle was already pulling her.

Gayle was writing down on her notebook, she was thinking about ways to approach the ideas of dating. She'd never done it before and she was trying to think of what people did from movies and books.

Well, it mostly started by a cheesy pickup line, or maybe a light touch. And then some shit happens, the girl gets saved and some other crap occurs the main characters have sex and then…

And then they're in love and they get married and live happily ever after. Those happen in movies and books.

Not in reality.

In reality, dating is difficult. Trust is an issue and…

And love doesn't come so easily.

She sighed, closed the notebook and slid it into her bag. When she looked up Macy was leaning over her table, smiling.

Well, it was more of a weird mouth open look with her lips peeling back over her teeth so she looked like a dog that was ready to attack.

"What?" Gayle demanded and began to pack her bag.

"I wanna apologise for what I did."

"It's about time." Gayle snapped.

"Well I wanna apologise, so I'm holding a party in honour of you."

"So you want me to come?" Gayle stood up and pushed her chair in, "Sorry, I won't be able to make it."

"What? No!" Macy rushed in front of her, "You _have_ to come. The boys will be there and all."

"I said I'm not going." Gayle snapped again, "I won't go. I'm busy."

"You're not! Look, I have to do this or the guilt will eat me alive. I'm serious. Why is it that when I wanna be nice to someone they're so mean to me?"

Gayle raised her hand, which was still in a brace, "You broke my hand Macy. That's something."

"Please, I beg you. Please come. I… I'm sorry for what I did. Please come. It's at my dad's bar."

Bar?

"Please, I'm begging you." Macy's eyes went watery and sad and then tears started to roll down her face. Several students were staring at them.

"Oh Jesus. Alright, I'll be there. I'll be there alright? Give me the address."

"Thank you!" Macy jumped and then wrote down the address on a piece of paper,  
>"Promise?"<p>

"Yes." Gayle breathed out, "I'll be there."

Macy squealed and walked out. Gayle glanced at the address and thought, _bar?_

Zayn watched as someone pulled out from Gayle's garage. _Probably the Grandfather._

But he had this nagging feeling that something was about to go wrong. It was a feeling that churned his insides and made him uneasy.

His fingers tapped restlessly against Niall's guitar and his eyebrows found a constant position in the middle. He kept biting his lip and his eyes were forever glued to Gayle's window.

"Zayn, are you quite alright?"

Zayn turned around and his gaze collided with Danielle's. She had a cup of coffee in her hand and she passed it to him

"You seem troubled." She sat down beside him, "Is it Gayle?"

"No." he sipped the coffee, tried to stall. He hoped that she got the point and left him alone so that he could drown in his own thoughts.

Sadly for him, Danielle didn't. And she was bloody insistent of finding out the roots of his worries.

"She likes you though. Gayle. She smiles when she talks about you."

Well, was that supposed to mean something?

"You can't keep denying it, you like her too."

"You aren't the one to say that." Zayn snapped and then turned back to Gayle's house. _Where is she?_

Danielle sighed out and then said, "She was in that car if you want to know. She was the one driving away."

This caught his attention. Damn this. Zayn pushed the guitar aside and stood up, made his way to the stairs.

"Zayn!" Danielle shouted behind him but he was too far gone. Something was eating at him and he wasn't sure what.

And it was bad, that's one thing for sure.

He walked across the road, arrived at Gayle's house and rang the doorbell. When no one answered he did it again and again until Gayle's grandmother opened it and blinked at him.

"Zayn, what are you doing here?"

Zayn breathed out, "Is Gayle home?"

"Why of course not."

_Of course not?_

"She went to a party. Why is something wrong?"

Damn this, the girl was going to get herself into trouble. "No of course not. I guess she ditched me." He faked laughter, "Well I'll get going then."

He turned around, clenched his jaw. _Macy's party._ Damn.

He headed to the car and caught a piece of paper stuck between the window wipers. He picked it up and his blood ran cold.

_They're gonna do something bad to Gayle, that's why they invited her. You have to help her or something's gonna go bad._

The fuck. He got into the car and sped off. He was pretty sure the party was held in Macy's dad's bar. She always held her parties there.

And of course, there was no adult supervision. So there was going to be alcohol and other unimaginable things. He wasn't going to let that happen. This was Gayle, she was probably going to wake up the next day and hate herself.

So why was he the superman? He had no clue.

But he did know that she needed saving. She was the Lois Lane.

After driving like a maniac and somehow not getting caught by the police, Zayn reached the bar.

There was a party in there alright. He could hear the screaming and the music.

He got out and then rushed in.

Half the kids there were already drunk the other half was on the verge of getting drunk.

The music was too loud and made his head dizzy. He pushed and shoved his way through, searching for Gayle.

And then he saw her, already drunk and pushed up against a wall.

His blood began to boil and he moved toward her, shoved the bastard away and cornered her.

She smiled at him, that lazy drunk smile drunkards do. Her eyes were drooping and there was still a glass in her hand.

"Gayle, what the hell are you doing in here?"

"I was invited." Her words slurred, "And it's a damn good party. Look!" she turned around, pushed down a sleeve of her shirt. And there on her left shoulder blade was a fresh tattoo, of a feather, "I have a tattoo!"

"Damn it, you're gonna hate yourself tomorrow."

"That's tomorrow." She inched closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Relax, I'm eighteen. It's legal."

Why was it so hot all of a sudden? "But that doesn't mean you should do stuff like this."

"Like how you smoke?"

Ouch. Now that hurt. "That's another story."

"I'm sure it is." She laughed, and then grabbed his wrist, "_Fine_. Let's get outta here!"

She dragged him through the crowd of drunk teenagers and onto the street.

Gayle grinned and then glanced at the sky. "Look at the stars."

Zayn did. The sky was filled with stars all shining miles away. Each special in it's way. He glanced at Gayle who was till looking at the stars, smiling stupidly. _Yeah, special in it's own way._

"What you starin at bruh?" Gayle turned to him, sent him another goofy smile, "I like you a lot Zayn Malik."

Okay, what?

"You make me feel." She walked towards him, tripped and had him catch her, "Like I hear _pings_ when I'm with you. You make my heart race. And I think you're amazing."

"It's the liquor talking. We need to get you home."

"You don't believe me?" she blinked, "Well… I like you so much I think I'm in love with you. You," she poked his chest, "Zayn Jawaad Malik of Bradford. Singer extraordinaire, ovaries exploder." She laughed to herself and then tried to straighten herself, "I realised that keepin feelings locked up won't get you anywhere. So here it is, I fucking love you."

Zayn's throat seemed to close and he had absolutely no idea what to say to her.

"Well… there's that." She wandered away from him began to walk. Her steps were unsteady and she was swaying.

If he let her walk now, she was going to keep going and he felt as if she wouldn't look back.

He'd be damned if he lost her now.

Zayn smacked his head. He was delusional.

But after that night, things were going to get awkward, he was pretty sure of that.

"Hey, Gayle." He ran up and caught up with her.

She turned around grabbed his jacket and lost her footing. Shit they were so going down. Zayn grabbed her, tucked her into his chest and went down.

Gayle gasped stared at him, "Are you okay?"

He grunted. He was going to have aches over his body, but he was fine.

"Zayn?" Gayle pushed herself up, stared at him awkwardly. He was on top of her and his weight might have been crushing her.

But she seemed so beautiful then, hair spilling around her, eyes wide and dark with wonder. She licked her lips, making them shine.

And then she went on to bite her lower lip and when she let go…

It turned red.

Now that, that was something he just couldn't resist. His common sense seemed to have left him then because he found his head lowering and lowering till his lips were mere inches from Gayle's.

Her breath fanned out and kissed him and when he couldn't wait any more, he finally placed his lips on hers.

She must have been shocked because she didn't respond at first but then she softened and her eyes closed and her lips parted. He was careful with her because he was sure that she'd never been kissed before. But she felt like an addiction and Zayn was dangerously spiralling down that road. Gayle pulled away, glanced at him. Her lips pulled into a smile and she grinned.

That seemed to melt his heart.

"As I said Zayn Malik, you're amazing." She pushed him off, pulled him up and kissed his cheek.

"You're gonna hate yourself tomorrow."

"Not this." She grabbed his hand this time, dragged him to the car.

"You're not driving."

Gayle pouted, pushed some of her hair behind her ears, "Who said I was?"

Zayn laughed shoved her into the car.

Chapter 6: Rebound

The moment Zayn saw Gayle the next day he walked up to her and said, "Hating yourself yet?"

She mock-punched his shoulder. "Shut up."

"What?" he chuckled, leaned down and whispered, "Just asking…"

The air seemed too hot then. "You're an ass." She stepped away from just to be pulled back for a kiss.

Well, she was going to have to get used to that. And to the fact that Zayn followed her around like a bodyguard half the time.

"Zayn, stop following me around. I can do this, seriously."

"What? Walk up to Macy and talk back? I doubt so." He said and then scowled, "How's that tattoo?"

"It's pretty." She grinned, "I like it a lot. But if my grandparents find out, they're gonna flip. Unlike me, they have a religion."

Zayn laughed, "You're eighteen and you've made so many decisions adults should be making."

"Then what do you expect me to be doing?" they began to walk, "Get married? Have kids? Dude, this isn't twilight. Someone has to be mature enough in my family and my parents sure as hell aren't." she stopped, swirled to face him, "Speaking of family, how's yours?"

"Fine. They want to come back soon and check on us. As usual they believe that we're up to no good." Zayn smiled and shook his head, "It's terrible because we don't know what's going to happen next. The police say that they're close to finding him, but why haven't they?"

"Well, he hasn't sent threats. So maybe he's stopped." She stroked his cheek, now feeling braver because they were a couple, "You worry too much."

"I guess I do." He held her hand to his cheek and tilted his head into it, "Maybe he's stopped."

"Maybe there's nothing to worry about." Gayle smiled, tiptoed and kissed the tip of his nose, "See you during break."

Zayn pouted and then turned around and headed for his first class. When she headed into class she noticed that half the girls were staring at her.

_Well I suppose they saw us…_ Gayle smiled awkwardly at them and then walked to her seat to avoid attention.

When she sat down there was a piece of paper with twitter names on it and below were the word, '_Could you get Zayn to follow us back?_'

Gayle laughed to herself and folded it. She set her phone to silent and looked up, just to realise that the girls sitting around her had somehow moved their tables so that they sat closer to her.

Somehow, Gayle found this amusing.

She was getting so much attention since she was dating Zayn- well they weren't actually _dating_. They hadn't gone. But he _had_ kissed her, and even in her drunken stupor, she managed to realise it and kiss him back. And then he had been a sweetheart who drove her back home, made sure she was tucked into bed safely and then had taken Louis back so that they could collect her car.

She owed him -she realised- she owed him a lot.

He'd been her superman the night before, saving her from being stupid.

"Hey Asian brat."

Gayle looked up just as Macy walked in, she dumped her purse on Gayle's table. Damn, why did she have to come up to her? Gayle didn't do anything wrong.

"How're you doing today?" she smiled cruelly, "Pregnant?"

"Funny, I didn't notice that I forgot to take my pill this morning." Gayle shrugged, "Like, how could I? I take it everyday! It prevent pregnancy."

Macy snarled.

"Sorry to disappoint Macy."

"So where did you go? You went missing halfway through." Macy leaned forward, "Do tell."

"I was busy fucking your boyfriend." Gayle grinned and then laughed, "Oh my god. It was a joke. Really. Zayn came to pick me up. I wasn't feeling well."

Someone went to Macy and began to whisper in her ear. Macy's eyes widened and then returned to normal.

"So you're dating Zayn huh? What did you do? Seduce him so that you could rob him?"

Rob him? What?

"Didn't you hear about the stalker? Someone was stalking them, hurting them."

Oh shit.

"Yeah, _you_ were the one weren't you? Zayn was mine!" she shouted, "They were supposed to be mine!"

Gayle stood up, her heart was racing frantically. "Oh my god." She stepped away, "Oh my god."

No… it couldn't be…

Not Macy. Of all people, Macy? What was this? A game the gods were playing.

"Oh my god." Gayle gasped and then pushed Macy aside and began to run. She had to get to the boys… she had to just get there and tell them…

A shot rang through the school and Gayle gasped.

Okay, doing what she did was one thing, but a gun? Now that was just sick in the head.

She managed to get to the stairs, tripped.

"NO! STOP! GAYLE!" Macy was screaming, "I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU! I SWEAR I WILL!"

No, she could. She could shoot her.

But Gayle wouldn't stop fighting. She crawled up the stairs. She had to find someone…

Anyone. Louis maybe… Louis.

She had to find Louis.

"GAYLE!" another shot rang, this time louder. Oh shit.

Louis. Her mind was set on him, Louis. If she found him then everything would be fine. She ran up again, she could hear students scream, there was going to be a frenzy.

Students were running out off classes and the stairs were getting filled up with panicked students.

Damn, how was se going to find Louis now. Gayle hoped a miracle would happen and she'd see someone.

And then she ran into Liam. She could've kissed him right there and thanked the lords but she began to gasp, "Ma- M- Macy is t-the stalker. Sh- She hurt you and, and…"

Liam's eyes widened, "What?"

"She's… she's g-got a g-gun." Gayle's legs gave way and she was grateful that Liam was holding on to her.

"You're bleeding." Liam almost shouted and then said, "Shit you're bleeding."

"GAYLE!"

"Oh my god." Gayle pushed away from Liam, felt a sharp pain on her arm and glanced down.

She was bleeding. The bulled had scraped her. The crazy bitch had aimed the gun at her and shot.

"Liam, go! Go find the boys… get em out of here. Get the police."

"Not without you, not with-"

Gayle shook her head, "She's gonna chase me. She's gonna... I need to get away."

"Gayle…"

Another shot echoed through the noise and then students began to scream more and shove and push their way.

"Go Liam, go!"

Zayn was pushing and shoving his way through the crowd. He had managed to round up Harry and Niall. He'd gotten a text from Louis who said he was outside. He had yet to find Liam and Gayle. But damn, there was some crazy ass kid who had brought a gun to school and was shooting away. Probably from a gang.

The students were all going mad, screaming and pushing, trying to escape and prevent themselves from getting killed by some psychopath. But that bad feeling he had in his gut was back and this time it was painfully so.

Zayn turned around and checked that Niall and Harry were still behind him. There wasn't any point in calling Liam at that point, there was no way the guy could hear his phone ring with all the screaming going on.

And then finally he caught hold of Liam outside. The teachers were making them stand in rows outside the school as they counted and made sure that everyone was there.

"Liam." Zayn grabbed hold of Liam.

Liam's eyes were red and he looked a little bit disturbed. "Zayn man, you've got one hell of a chick."

Oh shit, that did not sound good. "What do you mean? Liam…"

"The stalker, the one who sent death threats, broke my arm, smashed Niall's car… it was Macy."

Macy?

"Your girl, man she is smart… she…"

"Macy's after her isn't she? Tell me!" Zayn grabbed hold of both of Liam's shoulders, "Tell me!"

"She's bleeding… and bad… she's trying to get Macy off her trail."

"Damn it."

"Zayn… don't do anything stupid…" Liam stepped back, "Think about…"

"Well damn this. I love her." Zayn pushed away and ran back into the school. He had to get to her and knock some sense into that empty head of hers.

He rushed in.

The school was dead quiet. Where would you go if you were looking or an alternate exit of the school.

Where… where… whe-

The south side. There was a back door that was usually open so that the track kids could leave easily instead of walking all the way to the front.

That was where Gayle was definitely headed. He began to run there, his head was painful and his heart was sprinting from fear.

He had no idea what he was up against. All he knew was that Macy had a gun.

And he had no protection. But would Macy really kill Gayle?

He supposed she would. That crazy bitch was mental.

Gayle was in shit. Yeah she knew that she was in shit when she reached the south side exit and realised that it was locked. And then when she turned around Macy was standing there with a gun that was pointed at her chest.

This wasn't going to end well.

"You know, I was waiting. Waiting for one of them to pick me. Me, Macy Caldwell. Me, _I_ was the one that was meant to be picked. ME!" she screamed, stepped forward.

Gayle pushed herself against the door. "Look, Macy, it doesn't have to end this way."

"It has to! You know too much! You _knew._" Macy snarled, her eyes turned into slits and Gayle could almost feel the violence that Macy radiated.

It almost matched the violence her father radiated when he was angry. It scared her, made her remember the pain she'd felt before. It made her remember what he did to her when she was fifteen. She wanted to run again.

"You'll go to jail, your life will be ruined. Your dreams would be gone." Gayle's brows drew near and tears began to fill her eyes, "Everything would fall apart. You won't go to Juvy, you're eighteen. It's straight to jail for you."

She expected Macy to lower her gun and say something like, "You're right, my dreams would go." Or blah blah, instead she took another step forward and smiled, "My daddy's got a lot of money. He can get me a lawyer, he can get me put of jail. This is his gun, he likes guns. He has a lot of them. I just had to take one. My daddy's got money, I don't have to worry."

Oh my god. The girl was psychotic. And damn, isn't this the time the police would burst in and save them? And then Macy would go to jail and everything would go back to normal?

"I like this gun. Once I shoot you, you'll die straight away. And then I'll get my Zayn."

Gayle closed her eyes, felt the tears slip down. "No, please don't shoot. I… I'll break up with him, you can have him."

Macy began to laugh again. "How stupid can you be? He'll still love you."

Gayle opened her eyes, "He'll think you're a psychopath."

"He wouldn't. He'd think I'm brave. Because I had the fucking guts to bring a gun and shoot at you. Sad that it didn't hit you. It would have been fun to laugh at you while you died. I could hold a party. I'm sure everyone would be happy about this."

Gayle doubted that. People would think she was mad. People would hate her, send her death threats.

And Directioners, whoa. Gayle didn't want to think what they would do.

"Let me go Macy. I swear I won't do anything… I'll leave the town." She'd leave Zayn. It would eat at her, kill her heart, but she would have to.

But she would still love him. She would still ache for his touch.

And that was when Gayle noticed the shadow in the corner. It was dark and eerie but she saw the faint movement by the side.

Help was here. Her superman was here.

"Oh no. I want you here. I want to keep hurting you. Now wait bitch, I'm gonna kill you now. I'm gonna end this!" she screamed louder and then smiled cruelly. It was a shame though, Macy was a beautiful girl. She had a life ahead of her.

But she was mad, and there was nothing to cure madness. Macy lifted the gun, aimed for between her eye brows and then her finger began to squeeze the trigger. "Die bitch." She whispered and just as she was about to shoot, someone jumped from the darkness and pushed her away. The gun went clattering into a corner and Macy began to scream again.

Zayn.

She was punching and hitting him like a mad woman.

"STOP! FREEZE!" a police officer commanded and Gayle watched as more officers entered the room. Zayn moved away from Macy and headed Gayle. He pulled her into his arms, pressed his chin to the top of her head and murmured, "Everything's gonna be alright. You're safe now. You're safe now."

She was. Gayle was safe, she knew it because she was in Zayn's arms.

He found her lips and kissed her right there in the darkness as Macy screamed and the cops pushed her away. She was going to be locked up, she wasn't going to hurt them anymore.

No more drama. No more.

Zayn pulled back, used his thumbs and wiped the tears off Gayle's face, "You're safe now."

Gayle burst out in tears again, hugged him with her good hand.

Everything was fine now.

Chapter 7: The End

Gayle walked into the boys' room headed straight for Zayn, lifted her fist up and swung at him.

Zayn's head snapped back and he grunted out a curse before saying, "Fuck."

"Yeah, fuck only." Gayle snapped, "Directioners are spamming my timeline with 'Are you okay?', 'How's Zayn?' and 'Could you get Zayn to follow me back?'. I blame you, you bastard. You're never online."

Zayn laughed and stood up, "So it's my fault now?"

"Yes." Gayle grinned, "Yes it is."

"And this is how you thank me for saving your life?" his head lowered so that his lips were mere inches from hers, "Well that's extremely grateful of you, I guess."

Gayle smiled and dragged his head down so that the kiss was complete. It'd been a week from the incident. The school had been closed for a few days and when the police gave the al clear, lessons resumed. Everyone returned to their normal schedules, well except for the boys.

Now the whole world knew about the incident and Zayn was labelled an official hero for saving her.

News of them dating spread just as fast leading to mixed feelings from the fans.

Gayle got her usual congrats and fuck you's almost everyday. She found that amusing though, that people she barely knew were happy for her.

And at school she was labelled the 'Bad Omen' because when she got there Macy went mad.

And for Macy? Well she was going to jail. Her parents hadn't bothered with a lawyer or bail. She was going to spend five years in jail.

Mostly for later assaulting a police officer and shooting at another. The girl was out of control.

"Whoa, get a room." Louis laughed as he walked in and Zayn pulled away.

The boys were all returning back to their homes because their parents found out about the entire situation and were seriously pissed off at them.

Gayle knew that they would charm themselves out of trouble so she wasn't worried over them.

Zayn laughed and then shook his head.

"Another bruise?" Harry laughed, poked the spot that was becoming purple. Gayle laughed as Zayn slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Well, I do have one hell of an abusive girlfriend."

Liam shook his head, "She's mental."

Gayle laughed again and then winced at the pain in her shoulder. The bullet had grazed her and the good doctors had stitched her up so that hurt like a bitch.

"Where's Niall?" Gayle asked and searched for him.

Liam laughed again, "Across. More food from your grandparents."

Gayle shook her head, "The poor boy's gonna blow."

Louis chuckled, "Hey, anyone for Chinese food?"

Everyone agreed and they all went downstairs for a good hot meal. Everything was going to be fine now, Gayle was pretty sure about that.

Everything was perfect now.

The End.


End file.
